


Wreacking Havoc

by CharlotteML



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Demon Deals, Gen, Heaven & Hell, I Made Myself Cry, Sad with a Happy Ending, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 15:14:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8849926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlotteML/pseuds/CharlotteML
Summary: Since dying and discovering that his grandfather had sold his soul to hell, Kiyotaka's existence has been an indeterminable time of pain, punctuated with two breaks when he was summoned to the mortal plane by foolish people wanting to sell their souls... a trade that would give Kiyotaka a respite from his torture...But he refuses, he won't cause another to undergo the same fate as himself! Not even when this drunk idiot threatens to break the circle and allow him to inadvertently destroy the world if he doesn't bring his brother back to life.
*Based (loosely) on a prompt*





	

**Author's Note:**

> From this prompt here: http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/154435245045/imagine-that-person-a-is-a

“ _AAAARRRGGHHH!!!”_ Kiyotaka Ishimaru screamed, for what felt like eternity… well, it _was_ eternity, but he didn’t know _how_ much of eternity it had been yet… had it been years? Decades? Eons? He didn’t know. All he knew was that it was torturous, burning here with no end to it.

Curse his grandfather! _How_ could he have sold not only his _own_ soul to hell, but the souls of everyone in his family along with it! All Kiyotaka could do was take solace in the fact that he’d died too young to have children and inadvertently doom them to this as well...

_“AAAARRRAAYYYAAHHH…Ahhh… hah…”_ Kiyotaka’s screams lessened as the burning pain around him stopped long enough for him to catch his breath. The first time this had happened, he’d been relieved, thinking that an angel must have come and rescued him from his unfair fate. But reality down here was not so kind.

Demons like him, for that was what his grandfather’s ‘deal’ had turned him into, were given choices occasionally. Feel nothing but pain for all time, or take another soul down here to hell, to earn a respite from the torture.

His grandfather had explained it to him when he’d first arrived… he’d had a glowing aura around him and had walked through the flames hot enough to sear Kiyotaka’s entire being without batting an eyelid. Lazy, arrogant, _COWARD!_ Bad enough he’d spent his life letting other people do his work for him, now he was even forcing them to take his _pain_ for him!

Kiyotaka had told him the whole thing sounded like a pyramid scheme, and he’d have no part in it. His grandfather had just laughed and said he’d soon change his mind… he’d never met a demon who turned down the chance to trick someone into hell more than twice, regardless of how noble they were...

And this was Kiyotaka’s third time.

Suddenly, the world around him shifted from fire and pain into a dirty room, blurred by the shifting colours of a magical seal… he’d been summoned into a chalk circle, and would have no way to escape unless the marks drawn on the floor were disturbed by the summoner… of course, no summoner would be stupid enough to do _that,_ as an escaped demon would be compelled to wreak havoc until the world was destroyed… Although, he had to admit, these chalk markings looked pretty sloppily drawn…

“Fuckin’ hell… it actually _worked!_ ” Kiyotaka’s attention was diverted from the marking to the one who’s summoned him. He looked more of a mess than his apartment. His face was gaunt, framed by greasy waves of blond hair and coated with smudged eyeliner. He was wearing a long coat that had probably looked impressive, with its golden stitching, but now looked dirty and crumpled. And he was holding the summoning book in one hand and a beer in the other…

How the _hell_ had he actually managed to summon someone? Scratch that, how had he even read the book in that state, let alone drawn all the markings…?

“So… so yer a demon?” The boy in front of him asked.

“Unfortunately, I am. My name is Kiyotaka Ishimaru and I believe in bold simplicity!” It was good to remember his beliefs… they’d been tested for so long… But he _refused_ to give in! He wouldn’t force another to take torture in his place, not even this drunk shabby hooligan in front of him!

“That… Ya ain’t what I expected a demon ta look like…” The boy scowled at him.

“I can set my eye on fire and turn my hair white, if it helps?” He’d learnt that the second time around… although he drew the line at using actual swearwords.

“Uhh… don’t worry about it…” The boy stared at him. “So… if yer a demon, you’ll… you’ll do shit in exchange for my soul, right?”

“A-ah…” Kiyotaka felt an intense pang of hunger at that word… his _soul…_ Kiyotaka could suddenly see what a _kind, compassionate soul_ the boy had, underneath his appearance and attitude… he’d be worth _so much time_ away from the _torture…_ surely, just _one_ soul wouldn’t be that much to take… it wasn’t even Kiyotaka’s fault he was a demon! It wasn’t _fair_ that he had to suffer when this idiot who _wanted_ to have his soul taken was right in front of him, ripe for the pick…

“ _Ah! NO!_ ” Kiyotaka stopped himself. He _couldn’t_ take the soul of someone like this! This boy didn’t deserve eternal torture any more than _he_ did!

“No?” The boy snapped, “So what’s the fuckin’ point of this spell then?” He held up the book.

Curse the fact that he had to answer all questions honestly… “Well… _most_ demons would, as we can exchange your soul for time away from eternal torture, but I refuse to. All it would do is mean that _both_ of us were being tortured, eventually.” He _had_ to remember that fact… being in a pyramid scheme was bad… even if you were higher up that the person you were recruiting…

“ _So!?_ I fuckin’ _deserve_ it! And if it’ll bring my bro back…” The beer can in his hand crumpled as he grimaced at the thought of his brother.

“That’s what you want?” Kiyotaka sighed… such a noble goal, would it really be so bad to let him see his brother again…?

_Ah! What was he thinking!?_ “That… that wouldn’t be worth it… I mean, I understand what it’s _like,_ how painful it is to lose a loved one…” He probably would have done the same thing this boy was trying to, if it could have brought his mother back… “But, believe me, it’s _nothing_ compared to what you’ll get after you die, if you’re foolish enough to make a deal with me!”

“It’s not about how _I_ feel! It’s about making amends! And keeping my promise!” The boy yelled. “I’m the one who killed him, so I gotta bring him _back!_ I don’t _care_ what happens ta me!”

This boy? A _killer?_ He couldn’t _possibly_ be… “…How did you kill him?” An accident, surely…

“It’s none of ya fuckin’ business! Just bring him _back!_ ” The boy yelled, stumbling towards the circle…

“Wait! Stay back! If you damage the circle, I’ll be able to get out!” Kiyotaka warned him.

“So?” He paused, “Wouldn’t ya _want_ that?”

“No… If I get out I’ll wreak havoc and leave a trail of destruction in my wake…” Kiyotaka explained, “Whether I want to or not, from what I understand...”

“Alright then… either you fucking bring back _Daiya_ or I’ll break the circle!”

“ _What!?_ Are you _insane!_ You’d probably be the first person I kill!”

“I don’t care! I don’t wanna live with what I’ve _done!_ You can either let me fix my mistake or kill _everyone_ and then I can keep the gang together in _hell!”_

So tempting… _so, so, tempting_ … Take _one_ soul in exchange for _not_ destroying Earth? That would be the _ethically correct_ thing to do even! And then he’d get a break from his pain…

But this boy wouldn’t… or worse, he _would_ and it would bring even _more_ people into this…

“Please… don’t make me do… _either_ of those things!” Kiyotaka begged, “Just… just give up on this deal, move on, find some _other_ way to make amends! Not _this!_ ”

“Tch! Like I _can_ move on!” The boy snapped, pouring his beer onto the floor… where it washed away part of the chalk circle.

“ _NO!”_ Kiyotaka could feel the break in the circle… the ability to _get out… “_ Quickly! Draw it back! Or I’ll destroy the _world!_ ”

“ _Good!_ Get on with it!” He ordered.

“ _What?_ Do you not understand what I’m saying… do you think this is a game or something!”

“No! I know what the fuck I’m doing, alright! It’s not like I summoned you ta play _Yahztee!_ ” He snapped, “But it ain’t worth _having_ a world if it ain’t got _Daiya_ in it… So get the _fuck_ out of there and start wrecking shit!” He yelled at Kiyotaka, who was doing his best _not_ to leave the circle, even though he could feel himself being pulled towards the break to the outside…

“N-no… please… I don’t want to _do_ this… my existence is hard enough, without the guilt of causing everyone _else_ pain…”

“Then ya shoulda given everyone _Daiya back!”_ He roared as he reached in and pulled Kiyotaka out of the circle. “There!” He cried, triumphantly… “Now what?”

Kiyotaka wasn’t sure himself… he’d been told that demon being let out of the circle would cause havoc but… “I… don’t really feel like doing anything.” He admitted.

“Are you fucking serious!?” The boy sighed, “Hah! Why ain’t I surprised? I couldn’t do school right, couldn’t lead the gang right, couldn’t win a race right… why the fuck did I think I could destroy the world right, either!”

“You… you keep mentioning your gang… and this Daiya…” Kiyotaka observed, “Who are they?”

“Suppose I might as well fucking tell ya… maybe you’ll take my soul after all if I do…” He scrambled around in a pile of empty cans, until he found one that was unopened and took a swig of it. “Daiya’s my bro… he and I started a gang… though it was pretty much _him_ who was in charge… I was just some tagalong kid as far as everyone _else_ was concerned, but Daiya still wanted me to lead the gang after him anyway…”

“ _He_ trusted you… You can’t have been _that_ bad of a leader…” Kiyotaka suggested.

“Wait till ya hear what I _did…_ ” He snapped, taking another swig. “He was gonna retire, and I was supposed ta take over the gang, but I knew everyone was talkin’ ‘bout how I wasn’t up to it behind my back… so ta prove it to ‘em all, I challenged Daiya to a race… show I was _better_ than him so they’d quite _bitching_ about it!”

He took a deep breath, downed the rest of the can and threw it across the room, where it landed with a metallic crunch. “But… I _wasn’t_ better than him… I fucked up. I was going too fast and almost ran right inta a truck… only reason I ain’t dead is ‘cause _Daiya_ fucking pushed my bike outta the way and let the truck kill _him_ instead!”

Wait… why did this sound so familiar…?

“He died in my arms… made me promise ta keep the gang together… So, I told ‘em he’d fucked up and got himself killed… but they know, they ain’t stupid… It’s not even been two _months_ and they’re all thinking of leaving, or wanting ta spilt up and make their own gangs… I _can’t_ keep ‘em together! That’s why I need _Daiya_ back! D’ya _get_ it!?” He finished, his breaths heaving as he recovered from the tirade he’d just shouted…

Kiyotaka didn’t respond. He was too busy figuring out why the story had been so worryingly familiar… A gang leader… killed by a truck… died in his brother’s arms…

“You… you can’t be… Oowada…? The Crazy Diamond’s leader?” Kiyotaka asked, hoping against all hope it wasn’t true…

“Hah! Not for long!” Oowada answered bitterly.

“No… nonononononono… That… that _can’t_ be right! _Please!_ Tell me you’re joking!”

“What? You were a Crazy Diamond’s fan?” He smirked, “Sorry ta break it to ya, but Daiya’s dead, I killed him and the gang are gonna split. All in two months…”

“No… all that time…”

“Yeah… all that time Daiya led us, down the…”

“All that time I was in hell…” Kiyotaka barely noticed he’d interrupted the biker, “All that _pain…_ all the times I felt that my skin burned off and regrew just to be burnt off again… all the time I spent _screaming…_ all that time, that felt like it should have been _years_ or _decades_ of _torture_ …” Kiyotaka thought of the ‘eternity’ he’d been dead for… and was starting to realise just how long ‘eternity’ really was, because…

“That’s only been _one month?”_

_“_ Shit… is that what it’s _like?”_ Oowada asked, horrified. “I… just figured it’d be like going to the sauna with your friends… Maybe a little more uncomfortable…”

“I wouldn’t know… I’ve never had friends…” Kiyotaka admitted, “I… I spent all my time studying… I wanted to put in the effort to become smart and work hard to make my dreams come true, so I’d be able to be a good example to everyone and surpass my grandfather…”

“…How’d ya end up in hell then?” Oowada asked.

“Turns out my grandfather sold _my_ soul as well as _his…”_

“That’s _bullshit!_ ” He roared. “Can’t cha like… appeal that or something! It’s not _his_ soul ta _sell!”_

“I… I’ve never had the opportunity to ask.” Kiyotaka explained, somewhat touched that the biker had apparently forgotten his own problems to focus on Kiyotaka’s…

“But… but it ain’t _fair!”_

“…I suppose existence isn’t fair… At least, not _mine._ ” Kiyotaka admitted, bitterly “I wasted my childhood worrying about school and grades and studying and making everyone follow rules and never managing to talk to anyone because I was too bust telling them to do the same… And it was _pointless…_ I didn’t even finish _high school…_ Let alone the University courses I had planned out…” He tried to wipe away the tears forming in his eyes, to little avail… “I… all my plans… all my work… all for _nothing…_ and now all I have to look forward to is an eternity of _pain…_ ”

A deluge of rain slammed against the grimy windows of the apartment, just as a flood of tears poured from his eyes.

“ _Fuck_ …” Oowada didn’t seem to know what to say.

“If only I’d known this would happen… I… I could have spent all my time making _friends_ instead! I could have ignored school and truanted with the other children! I could have had _fun!”_ The rain continued to lash against the windows as he carried on crying out all his problems, “Instead I _wasted_ what little time I had on school, thinking all my hard work would pay off eventually and people would like me _then…”_

_“_ Hey… hey, c’mon…” Kiyotaka barely noticed Oowada touching his arm as more tears flowed from him…

“But now no one ever will, no one but my father even came to my funeral! No one but him ever _cared…_ no one but him even ever called me by my _first name…_ And now he’s going to end up in the same position as _me_ …”

“Kiyotaka.” Kiyotaka froze as he heard his name come from Oowada’s mouth, looking up just in time to see the biker’s arms coming towards him to wrap him in a hug. “That was it, right? Your name? Kiyotaka? You believe in bold simplicity…”

“Y-yes…” He manage to choke out… Someone was _hugging_ him… someone other than his father...

“Mine's Mondo and… well, I ain’t much of one… but I reckon you not taking my soul makes us friends…”

“Ah… th-th-THANK YOU!” He barely managed to spit out before happy tears overwhelmed his eyes…

“Heh…Umm…D’ya cry a lot?” Mondo asked him.

“I… I suppose I do. Is it a problem?” Would Mondo not want to be his friend because of it?

“Uhh… It’s just every time ya cry it starts chucking it down outside…” Mondo explained, worriedly.

“W-what?” Kiyotaka broke out of the hug to check…

Through the grimy windows he could see rain crashing down from the sky, water already running over the streets as it overloaded the sewage systems… and it only got worse as he realised that Mondo was _right,_ this was _his fault_ and his tears started flowing _faster…_

“Wreacking havoc and destruction… whether I want to or _not…_ ” He stepped back from the sight of the damage he was causing… “I need to get back in the circle! We need to stop this!”

“R-right!” Mondo nodded, flipping through the book to find the part he’d washed away while Kiyotaka painfully forced himself back into the circle… which was already starting to heat back up again… he’d spent too much time away from his torture and was starting to be sent back… “H-hang on! I’ve got the right page!” Mondo shouted and found his chalk, hastily scribbling in the missing part… “There! Done!” He snapped the book shut triumphantly.

“Thank you…” Kiyotaka sighed, at least now he could cry about his fate without feeling guilty for it. “And… thank you for… for being my friend… or saying as much at least…” He sighed.

“Hey… don’t say it like _that!_ ” Mondo snapped at him, “You’re acting like you’re going back already! Can’t cha just… stay in the circle? I know the apartments shitty but…”

“I tried that the first time I was summoned… it doesn’t work. We only get a short timeframe to make a deal, then we’re sent back.” He sighed, “I think it’s already happening…”

“Fuck… isn’t there some way ta stop it? It’s not fair, you don't deserve this shit!”

“I know… but… what else can I do?”

“You could take my soul…” Mondo suggested.

“I told you, that’s _pointless!_ It doesn’t last forever, so…”

“No, I mean… what if the deal was that you _stop_ being a demon, and come back to life or summat? In exchange for my soul?” Mondo asked, looking at him determinedly.

It would work… it would let him get out _completely…_ And Mondo was willing to do it, to take an eternity of torture in _his place…_

“You really _are_ my friend, aren’t you? To offer something so selfless…” Tears started to well up in his eyes, “What sort of friend would I be if I could  _possibly_ do that to you?”

“Trust me… I ain’t worth it… I’m just a thug… and I’m not even good at _that…_ I’ve not got plans for the future… not real ones, anyway, just some vague idea of being a carpenter that I’d probly fuck up anyway… “

“You’re not just a thug… A _thug_ wouldn’t have cared about me…” Kiyotaka felt tears forming in his eyes as he smiled, “Thank you for that… I’ll remember this, and _you_ … my _friend!_ Ahahaha!” He managed to laugh with joy at the thought, despite everything… “Goodbye, Mondo…” He sighed… he could tell his time was up…

“ _NO! Don’t you fucking dare just walk back in…!_ ” Mondo began to cry with anger as his form presumably began to fade from the mortal world.

Well… that had been a _wonderful_ break from his pain… but now he had to go back… He shut his eyes and tried to focus on the feelings of Mondo’s arms around him, the way Mondo had pronounced his name, the happiness he’d felt at being called a _friend…_ Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he could remember them…

Even now, the heat didn’t seem as hot as before… it almost felt pleasantly _cool…_

“ _What the…? No way_ … _How…?_ ” Kiyotaka opened his eyes to see that Mondo was staring at something behind him…

He turned to find a young man sat astride a motorcycle. Kiyotaka vaguely recognised his face and floppy black hair from the newspaper report he’d read, what seemed an eternity ago now… This was Daiya Oowada, wearing a pristine version of the coat his brother now bore… and a large pair of _beautiful_ feathered wings.

“Kiyotaka Ishimiaru?” He nonchalantly looked at a list, “That’s _you_ , right?”

“Y-yes… what’s going on? Why are you…” Why was he bothering to talk to _him,_ and not the _brother_ who’d been so desperate to bring him back?

"There's a rule... any demon who turns down the chance to take a soul three times is forgiven and brought to heaven instead." The older Oowada explained. "Although in cases like _yours_ it's bullshit... You shouldn't have been down there _at all..._ Let alone for a month! Your grandfather must be one hell of an asshole to force you into _that_..."

"I see... but... can you not see out of the circle?" Kiyotaka pointed to Mondo, who was just staring at his older brother with reverent tears in his eyes.

"Eh? Yeah I can see out of the..." Daiya looked past him for the first time and froze, " _MONDO!? What the FUCK are you DOING!?"_

"I..." Mondo looked like he'd rather go straight to hell, than face his older brother... "I... I needed ta bring ya back... It's my fault ya died... I wanted to make amends..."

"I'm in _heaven_ ya dumbass! Why would I _wanna_ come back!" Daiya yelled, "And besides, how're you supposed ta keep the gang together if you sell your fucking _soul..._ "

"I couldn't keep 'em together anyway!" Mondo shouted.

"What!?" Daiya growled, "Whaddaya _mean_ you didn't keep 'em together!"

"I... I just..." Mondo couldn't find the words to explain, or look his brother in the eye...

"He shouldn't have _had_ to!" Kiyotaka snapped.

"Excuse me!? This is a chat between _men,_ it has nothing to do with you!"

"On the contrary! You say my grandfather is an 'asshole' for forcing me into _his_ obligation, but _you're_ forcing your brother to take care of your gang!" Kiyotaka pointed out.

"That's different!"

" _How!?_ "

"I... well... he needed _something_ to do! He spent his whole life following _me_ and then I got myself _killed!"_ Daiya cried, casting a guilty glance at his younger brother, "I... thought if I told you ta look after the gang, it'd... give you something to do with your life... you didn't have anything _else_ to work on so..."

"Carpentry." Mondo muttered.

"What!?" Daiya stopped talking.

"I... My teacher says I... I don't _suck_ at woodwork, so... I've been thinking maybe I could try becoming a carpenter when I'm older..." Mondo admitted gruffly.

"Oh... so... you had a plan... but what about friends and stuff! The gang are your _faimily!_ They respect you! They'd have..."

"They don't respect me! Aside from Michi, they only put up with me 'cause I'm _your_ brother! And now you're gone and I had to lie about _why_ and they all fucking _know_ it so everyone but Michi's talking about making their _own_ gang! Why'd ya think I wanted you _back!_ I promised you I'd keep 'em all together, but I _can't!_ I needed _you...!"_

"Shit... I... I didn't know. I thought they'd respect my choice to have you as the leader and support you. I didn't realise I was just you extra shit to worry about..." Daiya apologised, "What are you going to do now?"

"Dunno... hang out with Michi... try and find out how to get into woodwork..." Mondo sighed, "I... don't worry, I ain't gonna summon any more demons... I mean... I'll be okay, knowing you two both are... I guess."

Kiyotaka smiled at those words... You _two..._ Mondo had included _him..._

"Heh... I'm glad I got to have this chat with ya bro... even if it was 'cause you were being a fuckin' _idiot!_ " Daiya laughed with relief... It must be nice to have a chance to say goodbye to your family... "I guess we'll be getting going now..." Daiya sighed, looking up at what appeared to be a beautiful, soft white light above them.

But wait... what about _Kiyotaka's_ family... "Wait, Mondo! I... Could you do me a favour? My father's name is Takaaki Ishimaru, he's a policeman... Please... tell him about what happened here! Tell him I'm okay!" He begged.

"Yeah... will do..." Mondo's nod was the last thing Kiyotaka saw before the world went white...

* * *

 

'Visits to Earth are only allowed for specific reasons and will be assigned by higher-ranking angels... requests to make a visit will be ignored...'

Kiyotaka shut the book with a sigh... Daiya had told him he couldn't go _back_ to Earth... but surely there must be _some_ way to find out what was going on down there? To find out if Mondo had managed to find his father and let him know about what had happened... and if his father had even listened to him or had just declared that Mondo was crazy and  arrested him...

"Hey... Kiyotaka...? If you're finished studying, maybe I can show you the rec room?" One of his new classmates here in Heaven's Peak asked him, gently, “You’ve been here for weeks and still haven’t seen it! It’s really good, there’s...”

It... it would be _nice_ to go and have fun... make friends... make up for the lost time on Earth during the eternity he had here... but...

"I'm sorry, Makoto... I haven't quite found the answer I'm looking for..." Kiyotaka answered apologetically as he reached for the next book in the pile...

"Well... if you're sure..." Makoto sighed as he patted his shoulder and left...

Kiyotaka felt slightly guilty... Makoto was trying so hard to be his, and everyone else's, friend that he sometimes wondered if the boy had been specifically ordered to do so... And he'd _tried_ going and having fun with the others these last few weeks, but he kept getting reminded of his father, and worrying that Mondo wouldn't have been able to warn him... and then he might end up like his grandfather, losing his resolve and never managing to be forgiven for a sin that wasn't even his...

He just needed to see that his father was alright! That was all! Why _couldn't_ they just show him _that_ so he'd be able to move on and enjoy himself... was it because it hadn't happened? Was that why there was a hundred books saying that _visiting_ Earth wasn't allowed, but not a single one saying anything about _looking down at it?_

"Hey... Kiyotaka, wasn't it?" Kiyotaka looked up from the book he'd been clutching to see Daiya looking at him with concern.

"Oh, Daiya!" Kiyotaka smiled, "Have you had any news about how Mon..."

"That ain't how this works... Me getting to see Mondo was a fluke..." Daiya sighed, "Yer just gonna have to wait and see what happens."

"I... sorry..." Kiyotaka sighed, "How can I help you?"

"You and I are being sent on a mission." Daiya explained.

"Already!?" Kiyotaka frowned, he'd been told he'd be expected to finish school first when he'd tried to volunteer.

"It's just a simple observation mission... it's not possible to screw it up so it makes good experience." Daiya shrugged.

"Alright... how do we get th..." Kiyotaka started to ask a question as Daiya snapped his fingers... "...errrrreee..."

His voice drawled like a broken record at the sight of his _father,_ working diligently at his desk at the station.

" _FATHER!"_ He cried, rushing forward with his arms outstretched as his father turned to face him and stood up...

...and then promptly walked right through him.

"W-what!?" Kiyotaka barely kept himself upright as he stumbled to a stop, ending up standing _in_ his father's swivel chair. "Why...?"

"It's an _observation_ mission... yer lucky you get ta see him at _all..._ " Daiya muttered. "We're like ghosts right now, we can't touch anything or be seen by anyone."

“O-oh... I see...” At least his father looked... _functional..._ although he looked thinner and far more tired than he had the last time Kiyotaka had seen him...

“Ah! Inspector!” His father was saying to a man who had entered the room behind Kiyotaka, “I’m almost done with the plans for the flood defences, if you just give me a bit more time...”

“Don’t worry about that... I can take it from where you’ve left off...” The inspector replied, reaching for the file his father was holding...

“Err... But I... I know it’s odd... But I wanted to handle this myself...” His father refused to let go of the file.

That... that wasn’t like him! He usually followed orders without complaint... or at least that’s what he told Kiyotaka when he came home in the evenings...

“I know, Ishimaru... but Mondo Oowada has just come into the station…”

“Ah!” Both Kiyotaka and Daiya perked up at the name… he _was_ getting to see that his father would be alright!

“The missing gang leader boy? What’s that got to do with _me?_ I’m not part of missing persons…” His father was _still_ refusing to let go of his file…

“I know… but he’s asking to speak to _you,_ specifically.”

“Me!?” His father looked unconvinced.

“ _Please_ talk to him!” Kiyotaka stood right next to him and begged, hoping his father could hear him on some subconscious level… “Please talk to him, please talk to him, please talk to him…”

“Alright… I’ll see what he wants… Let me talk to him, please.” His father decided, still not handing over the file from before.

“I’ll go get him…” The inspector said, at the same time as Kiyotaka breathed a sigh of relief…

“Thank you!” Kiyotaka told his father.

“Thank you.” His father told the inspector seconds later…

“ _Can_ you hear me?” Kiyotaka asked.

His father looked slightly pained and confused for a brief moment, before shaking his head and looking down at the file in his hands thoughtfully until the inspector returned with Mondo…

He’s obviously been riding hard recently, but still looked like less of a mess than the last time Kiyotaka had seen him. He was sober, his posture was better, and his eyes were full of confident determination that had been sorely lacking previously, but the biggest change was that the limp greasy hair was now replaced with a long, carefully styled pompadour…

“Aha!” Daiya laughed happily, “Looking good, Mondo…” Kiyotaka just barely managed to catch a glimpse of the gang leader wiping away a small tear before Daiya turned his face away.

Mondo and his father both looked each other over in silence for a while, before the inspector awkwardly excused himself and left them alone.

“So… how can I help you?” His father was the one to break the silence.

“Uhh… Well… you’re probably gonna think I’m crazy, ‘cause I ain’t got any proof of this other than this book…” Mondo pulled out the summoning book he’d used to get Kiyotaka, “…which ain’t really _proof_ ‘cause…”

“ _How did you get that!?”_ His father’s voice turned cold with fear as he reached for it, “I thought I _burnt_ this!”

“Uhh… I met some dude in an alleyway…” Mondo explained vaguely, “I was drunk… don’t remember what he looked like, just that he said if I followed the instructions I’d be able to get whatever I wanted.”

“So there’s more copies…” His father sat down with a sigh, “I’m assuming you’re here because you summoned my father, then…”

“Umm… no, not your old man…” Mondo cringed, “And, uhh… And he’s totally fine now but it was actually yer son!”

“ _WHAT!?_ Why would _Kiyotaka_ be in _hell!?_ And how could he _possibly_ be ‘totally fine’ there!?” His father stood back up and rounded on Mondo.

“It… Yer old man sold his soul… and probly _yours_ as well!” Mondo hurried to explain, “But there’s a way out, which is why he’s fine now! My bro took him ta heaven!”

“…And he wanted me to know what it was so I’d be alright…” His father smiled as he sat back down.

“Yeah…” Mondo nodded, “Umm… basically don’t trick people into selling their souls… after you refuse three times that’s it…”

“I’ll keep that in mind…” His father muttered.

“Okay… guess that’s me done then!” Mondo shrugged, turning to leave…

“Wait… how _was_ Kiyotaka?” His father suddenly called after Mondo.

“Uhh… he cried a lot?” Mondo shrugged, “Almost destroyed the world with it, even…”

“So… those storms three weeks ago… that _was_ him?” His father stroked the file in his hands fondly, “I… I thought it was crazy, but at the time… the way they stopped and started seemed just like how _he’d_ cry…”

His father was beginning to tear up… which made him feel less foolish for beginning to cry himself! His father was _miserable_ without him! And he was stood _right here_ and couldn’t help at _all!_

“Uhh… was there anything else ya wanted ta ask…?” Mondo asked awkwardly.

“If I had my way, I’d have you give an in-depth account of every tiny thing he did that night…” His father sighed, “But… I expect you have better things to do… You can go…” he turned away and waved his hand dismissively… but did a terrible job of hiding the tears streaking down his face.

Mondo looked down at the corners of the room, apparently thinking things over, before sitting down in the chair on the other side of his father’s desk. “…Not really… I mean… I read in the paper that they only know I’m missing ‘cause my landlord went ta kick me out and I’d already gone, so I ain’t even got a place ta stay…” Mondo frowned as if this was only a minor inconvenience. “I can sit and talk awhile…”

“Ah…thank you.” His father gave up hiding his tears and wiped them up with a handkerchief. “I have a spare room now, if you need somewhere to stay… and don’t mind… well…”

“Well… If ya ain’t worried ‘bout me messing up the place…” Mondo agreed, hesitantly.

“He’d have probably complained about that… outwardly at least…” His father smiled, “Although I think he’d have just been secretly glad to have someone his age come around… He never had any friends…” He added, sadly.

“Actually… he had _one…”_ Mondo corrected him.

“Who…?” His father looked confused for a moment, before picking up on the hint, “You mean yourself?”

“…Yeah.” Mondo admitted gruffly.

“Ahahaha!” His father laughed and pulled Mondo into a hug, “Thank you!”

…And then the world went white and he was back in the library at Heaven’s Peak.

“Ah! Why are we back _here!?_ ” Kiyotaka cried.

“’Cause we saw what we needed to, dumbass!” Daiya sighed. “Yer dad knows not to make any deals, and him and Mondo are even gonna look after each other as well!” He wiped an errant tear from his check. “We’ve got no excuse not to move on now.”

“Ah… I see…” Daiya was right… His father would be fine now… “Do you know which way the Rec Room is?”

“What? You’ve been here _weeks!_ How have you not been there yet?” Daiya asked, sceptically. “Alright… guess I can look after ya for a bit as well…” He sighed, pulling Kiyotaka out of his seat to go and make some more friends…

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
